Road dust is a widespread problem in the United States, Canada, and other countries in rural areas where the majority of roads are unpaved. In the United States alone, over $400 million is spent annually on dust control. Mining operations also generate large amounts of dust due to heavy traffic. This dust creates an environmental hazard that impacts crops as well as the health of peoples living and working in these areas. Road dust generation also results in excess erosion of gravel roads and increased maintenance cost associated with their upkeep.
Glycerol (also known as glycerin) has been shown to be an effective dust suppressant when applied to gravel roads directly or as an aqueous solution with surfactants, polymers and other chemicals (Yan et al., J. Environ. Prot., 2012, 3:218-224). However, it has also been shown that glycerol can have a negative environmental impact as it is water soluble and can be washed away from the road surface by rainfall and end up in the adjacent surface ground water killing plants and animals due to its high biological oxygen demand (Yan et al., J. Environ. Prot., 2012, 3:218-224).